Due to budget reductions, changes in thinking within and outside of the Animal Services Division, and wildlife behavioral studies, Plano Animal Services (PAS) has adopted a new philosophy on handling wildlife issues that will no doubt be copied by other municipal agencies across the country.  It is understood that eliminating the program that allowed residents to borrow humane traps will create issues and concerns among some citizens.  Hopefully, the explanation and information contained below will alleviate many of these issues.

The Genesis of the Department’s Original Wildlife Program

Despite the fact that its original mission had nothing to do with wildlife, PAS has historically responded to complaints about coyotes, opossums, raccoons, and other indigenous wildlife by routinely trapping and relocating them.  Additionally, the Division lent live-capture traps to citizens so that they could trap wildlife on their own property.  In many cases, trapping led to euthanasia of the animal or resulted in over-burdening of area wildlife rehabilitators.  The focus was simply to remove animals and thereby remove the current perceived problem.

Unfortunately, trapping wildlife is a reactive approach and is a temporary solution to a permanent problem.


While trapping and removing wildlife is warranted in certain situations, trapping as a sole means of wildlife management is inherently flawed.  Targeted animals may not be the ones captured or may not have been the culprit and therefore perceived nuisances may continue.  Even if the correct animal is captured and removed, there is no way to prevent nuisances from reoccurring as it is simply a matter of time before another animal moves into vacated territory.  While removal of wild animals may temporarily resolve current problems, it fails to address the underlying source of issues – human behavior. 

Department Function & Policy

All municipal animal control programs, including PAS, were originally tasked with protecting citizens from the threat of rabies.  Investigating bites against people and enforcing rabies vaccination requirements remain as two of the top priorities for PAS.  The Division’s main objective is to deal with domestic animal issues and problems irresponsible pet owners cause.  Domestic animals have owners who are legally responsible for them and PAS ensures that all owners abide by state and local laws so their pets do not create disturbances for others who live in their neighborhood. 

The City of Plano does not own or have control of any wild animal found within its boundaries, nor is the City responsible for the actions or damage caused by them.  In fact, wild animals have no owners to be responsible for their actions and therefore cannot be regulated in any way.  There are no laws requiring PAS to respond to wildlife issues or remove wildlife perceived by some to be a problem.  Wildlife was included in the scope of the services the Department provided due to people’s expansion into wild habitat as the city grew in size and population.  This growth resulted in wild animals being involved in distress situations in which they required rescue.  PAS will always respond to situations where public safety is being jeopardized, however, the mere presence of a wild animal does not constitute a public safety threat.  These animals are a common and important part of our ecosystem  that benefit the human population in numerous ways.  Urban sprawl is something that remains a constant and as people push further and further into the habitat of wild animals, they must be responsible for their behavior.

Change in Thinking

Faced with budget reductions that would force PAS to cut back on services, Division management decided to eliminate ancillary functions and focus entirely on the Division’s core function: handling domestic animal issues.  Eliminating programs that are outside the Division’s true purpose creates greater efficiency within the city and allows PAS to focus on providing services it was originally intended to.  It is estimated that Plano spends over $125,000 annually on programs that trap and remove wildlife – the vast majority of which have never posed a threat to any of Plano’s residents.  Since these programs do not solve the “problems,” the City can either choose to spend this amount indefinitely or it can choose to try a new approach to “free up” these funds to better address needs of the City and its citizens.

PAS knew the public would still look to them for guidance in dealing with human/wildlife interactions and so they worked closely with Plano’s Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, the D/FW Wildlife Coalition, and the Plano Independent School District’s Holifield Science Learning Center to create a new approach to handling routine wildlife issues that will be easy for the human population to implement and beneficial to wildlife.  Input was provided by citizens, veterinarians, animal welfare representatives, and wildlife experts in an effort to form policies that reflect Plano’s standards and that are in the best interests of Plano residents.  To achieve this goal, the group had to first understand what procedures were currently being used and how they could be improved.

For years, large numbers of wild animals have been trapped, euthanized, or relocated by animal shelters all over the United States.  PAS was no different in this regard.  Despite years of trapping and relocating or euthanizing, human interactions with urban wildlife still take place today.  In many areas, they have increased dramatically.  After speaking with many experts, some reasons why this continues to happen became clear.

Plano, with its large parks and lush greenbelts, makes a wonderful environment for urban wildlife.  The source of the problem is not the presence of wildlife, but the environment that humans have created for them.  People, either intentionally or unintentionally, have conditioned wildlife to understand neighborhoods are full of food, water, and shelter.  Pet food is left outdoors at all times even when pets were inside.  Fallen fruit from trees is left on the ground to rot.  Trash is left in uncovered containers.  Bird feeders are filled well past what local birds can consume in a day.  Large wood piles and overgrown landscaping make excellent shelter in yards.  Uncapped chimneys and unrepaired holes into attics give them access to homes.  There have even been instances of people intentionally feeding wildlife.  Leftovers from an entire Thanksgiving turkey dinner were dumped in a local park, presumably left by an individual who mistakenly believed that the animals are “trapped” in our urban environment and will starve to death without our intervention.  All wild animals are opportunistic and they will take advantage of the easy food, water, and shelter that people provide for them. 
Existence of these conditions causes animals to become habituated to neighborhoods and learn that meals and shelter can effortlessly be found within yards, trash cans, and homes.  All of this leads to wildlife becoming accustomed to people and losing their fear of humans – a dangerous situation for everyone involved.

A More Proactive Approach

Preventing animals from becoming accustomed to people is the first step in reducing human/wildlife interactions.  Wildlife will continue to come to people’s homes as long as there is food, water, or shelter there for them.  Eliminating attractants will encourage wildlife to forage in areas outside of neighborhoods and eventually will lead to their understanding that there are no benefits to being in close proximity to people.  The opposite is also true as well; if nothing is changed and the benefits of being around humans remain unchecked, then wildlife behavior will remain the same and they will continue to seek out yards and homes that appeal to them.

It will take all of Plano’s residents working together to accomplish this.  Some people love wildlife.  Others don’t believe that a wild animal has any reason to belong in a city setting.  Regardless of where you stand on this issue, the fact is clear that reducing human/wildlife interactions is in the best interest of people, pets, and wild animals.

If you love wildlife, the basic point of this message is: let the wildlife be wild.  They have survived without our assistance for many generations.  Feeding them will lead to them associating people with food.  This can create a dangerous situation for people and pets who live in the area.  Enjoy their beauty from afar and appreciate their ability to be independent and self-sufficient.  Treating them as anything less will lead to tragic consequences for wild animals.

If you are not a big fan of wildlife, the basic point of this message is: let the wildlife be wild.  Eliminate any possible reason that may attract them to your home or yard.  Make certain your chimney is capped and keep landscaping well-groomed.  Feed your pets indoors or at least pick up any remaining food after they eat.  Keep all trash containers tightly sealed.  Wild animals want less to do with you than you do with them.  If you do not attract them, they will stay away from you and will be happy to let you live your life without their interference.

Above all else, be a responsible pet owner.  Do not allow any animal, even cats, to run loose within the city.  Your fenced-in yard or at the end of your six foot leash is the safest place for all pets and will ensure that they do not end up interacting with wildlife.  Make sure all pets are vaccinated against rabies and licensed with the city each year.  Protecting your pets from diseases that wildlife can carry will also protect your family from being exposed through your pet.  Being a responsible pet owner helps ensure that you and your pet are good neighbors to the people, pets, and wildlife with which we share our neighborhoods with.

Wildlife are here to stay.  No amount of money or manpower can change this fact.  With a little personal responsibility, all of Plano’s residents can share the City and minimize inconveniences that wild animals may present while still giving citizens the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and spirit that gives wildlife the resiliency to adapt to whatever environment we create for them.

Observed a coyote or bobcat in your neighborhood?

Sightings of coyotes and bobcats are quite common in Plano and throughout the D/FW Metroplex.  A sighting of a healthy coyote/bobcat does not constitute a threat to people and as long as their behavior is apparently normal, there is no reason for an Animal Services Officer to respond.  Contrary to what many believe, these animals do not live only in rural environments.  Many have adapted to survive in urban settings and there are coyotes in nearly every major city across the United States.  In fact, there is a coyote pack that has been extensively studied for years that live in downtown Chicago.  Wild animals are very good at adapting and they have learned to survive in many different types of environments, usually despite the best efforts of people to eradicate them.  Eradication is not feasible but even if it were, there is no way to prevent wildlife from returning.  The best course of action is to educate the public about these animals as human interference is what is most often responsible for them exhibiting threatening behaviors.

These small predators may appear to be a threat but in reality they pose very little danger to people.  They do not want to attack people because humans are not seen as a food source and our size (even children) makes us a threat to their well-being.  They know that if they get into a fight with a person, there's a good chance they could get hurt and any wild animal that gets injured runs the risk of starving to death.  In recorded history, there has never been a reported attack on a person by a bobcat or coyote in Plano.  Throughout the entire state of Texas, there has never been an instance of a coyote or bobcat killing a person.  By comparison, domesticated dogs and cats injure more than 600 people each year in Plano alone, and dogs are responsible for an average of over one death per year in Texas.  Statistically speaking, people are at a far greater risk of being injured by an at-large dog or cat, or their own pet, than they are of being injured by a coyote or bobcat.

Nationwide there are very few “attacks” a year and these situations are nearly always due to the animal being sick or injured or it was being fed by people and lost its fear of us.  People's interference is by far the biggest factor in wildlife becoming a threat to public safety.  When people feed these animals, over time they can get accustomed to humans and lose some of their fear of us.  This is why Animal Services tries to educate people about the importance of not feeding the wildlife.  They do not need assistance to survive and the less humans do to try and "help" them the better it is for them and us.  On rare occasions, pets have been attacked by a coyote or bobcat, but nearly all of these attacks are the owner’s fault.  All animals, including cats, are required to be confined to their owner’s property at all times so that they are protected from the dangers they face on the streets, the least of which is predation by wildlife.

It is recommended that residents look around their yards and neighborhoods for attractants: food, water, and shelter.  People leaving pet food out will attract all kinds of wildlife that are happy to take a free meal.  Unsecured garbage, free-roaming pets, and fallen fruit could all be turned into a meal for a wandering predator.  Standing water sources, especially in the heat of summer, are also very popular with wild animals.  Bobcats will sometimes use an unsecured deck as a den, and while Coyotes don’t normally den close to residences, overgrown landscaping around homes will provide shelter for smaller animals, such as rats, mice, and rabbits, that will attract coyotes to neighborhoods.  Homeowners actually benefit from the presence of coyotes and bobcats because their predation keeps these populations under control and prevents infestations that occur in homes and businesses when vermin reproduce unchecked. 

If you have a coyote sighting in your neighborhood:

Do's

Don’ts 

Written by Jim Dunlap & Tammy Welch, Living Material Center